In order to receive any Title IV federal aid, such as Pell, SEOG, William D. Ford Direct Loan or PLUS, or state aid, such as the Iowa Tuition Grant (ITG), State of Iowa Scholarship, etc., or be eligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics, a student must be making satisfactory academic progress. Please note that satisfactory academic progress may be different from good standing, academic probation, or academic dismissal.

The Graceland University satisfactory academic progress standards for financial aid apply to all students who want to establish or maintain financial aid eligibility. The standards apply to a student’s entire academic record whether or not the student received financial aid for previous terms of enrollment.

To qualify for full-time financial aid and be eligible for intercollegiate sports, students must progress according to the following schedule and be enrolled in 12 s.h. at the time financial aid is disbursed. Students deficient in hours and/or GPA, will be denied aid until the deficiency is corrected. Students are not eligible for federal student aid beyond 12 semesters or 186 credit hours, whichever comes first.

Semesters Completed

Cumulative Earned Hours

Cumulative GPA

1

12

1.70

2

24

1.80

3

36

1.90

4

48

2.00

5

60

2.00

6

72

2.00

7

85

2.00

8

98

2.00

9

111

2.00

10

124

2.00

11

137

2.00

12

150

2.00

The above schedule will be prorated for students who have had part-time semesters.

These standards are the minimum standards that must be completed. Specific aid programs may require more than these minimum standards. Additionally, a department may require the student to earn more credit hours or maintain a higher grade point average (GPA) than required by these minimum standards. Some types of aid may not be available to the student for the entire duration of the satisfactory academic progress standards, e.g. the Iowa Tuition Grant is only available for eight full-time semesters or their equivalent.

Evaluation Process

The standards require that students (1) complete a specified number of credit hours by the end of each academic semester and (2) maintain the minimum required cumulative GPA defined by this standard. The academic progress of financial aid recipients will be monitored at the end of each semester in the academic year. Financial aid eligibility will be evaluated at least once each academic year, usually after the spring semester. If a student is academically dismissed at the end of the fall semester, the student's eligibility for financial aid for the following spring semester will be re-evaluated.

Audit grades and dropped courses prior to receiving a W are not considered attempted coursework and are not included in completion rate determination. All hours that appear on the transcript are counted as attempted, even those for semesters in which the student did not receive aid. Financial aid advisors will contact the student through their Graceland email and will also send letters to the student's permanent residence listed in our database to inform the student they are not making satisfactory academic progress (SAP).

Warning Period

Student may receive aid for one semester while on Financial Aid Warning and no appeal is necessary. The Financial Aid Warning period will consist of the next semester the student is enrolled in classes. Students who have been accepted after academic withdraw will be given one semester of Financial Aid Warning. One semester of Financial Aid Warning is allowed per student. If the student does not meet all the SAP requirements at the end of the warning period, the student will lose his/her eligibility until he/she appeals for financial aid probation.

Undergraduate Appeals

A student must meet the minimum credit hours and cumulative GPA requirements to be maintaining satisfactory academic progress. Appeals for Financial Aid Probation must be submitted in writing or by email to the student's Financial Aid Advisor, no later than 2 weeks prior to the semester begin date. The appeal must contain the following information:

A statement by the student that outlines the circumstances that the student believes contributed to his/her lack of academic progress.

The steps that the student plans to take to remedy his/her current academic situation. This should include written documentation of your educational plan from your academic advisor, the CAP Center, or your program consultant.

A list of courses the student is planning to enroll in during the next semester.

Transfer students must submit a copy of all academic transcripts.

For undergraduate juniors and seniors, a semester by semester plan of the classes the student will take in order to graduate within the guidelines of satisfactory academic progress.

Financial Aid Services will evaluate the appeal for extenuating circumstances such as a death in the family, serious illness or injury to the student or close family member, that result in the student not meeting one or more of the requirements. The committee typically grants financial aid probation for one semester only during a student's academic enrollment at Graceland. The decision will be sent to the student's Graceland email account.